Escape from Grammar Island !

Developed by John Vollrath
jvollrath@csdr-cde.ca.gov

Introduction

Will your tribe be able to escape from Grammar Island by earning enough survival points during tribal writing competitions?
Good Luck!
Click here to see the Introduction in ASL

Task

Imagine that all of your class members are stranded on a deserted island. Each group of four students will form a separate tribe. Each member of the tribe will have a unique perspective of this dire situation based on his/her chosen role. It is the responsibility of the tribe members to work together as a team to ultimately escape from the island by completing 4 written tasks which will earn them survival points. The tribe that achieves the most points after all four tasks have been completed will successfully escape from grammar island!

Process

	Day 1 First, the students must separate into tribes of four members each. Next, they must select a tribal name and develop a flag design. Each member must choose a role which they will represent during the entire project. (see: tribal worksheet & tribal roles)

	Day 2 Write ten narrative tribal journal entries regarding your recent island experiences. (see: journal worksheet for journal questions)

	Day 3 Develop a map of your island and clearly describe it to the other tribes using detailed descriptive writing. (see: island description worksheet)

	Day 4 Make a detailed survival booklet explaining how to live off the land if stranded on an island. (see: survival worksheet)

	Day 5 Persuade the island chief why your tribe is the best and should be allowed to escape from the island. (see: island chief worksheet)

Tribal Roles
Tribal Leader	This individual must be willing to make tough decisions for the well-being of the tribe. He/She must be an independent thinker with a willingness to listen to other tribe members' suggestions.
Tribal Healer	This individual must always have the other tribe member's mental and physical health in mind. He/ she must be aware of potential dangers and remedies for the tribe.
Tribal Builder	This individual needs to be acutely aware of the environment. He/she must be able to keep the members alive by using his/her common sense skills in and around the camp area. This person is responsible for shelter and heat for the campsite.
Tribal Hunter	This individual must be constantly aware of plants, animals, insects, etc. that can be captured and eaten. He/she must be courageous and willing to take chances for the benefit of the tribe.

Resources

The following internet resources can be utilized to assist the students with their four writing tasks:

Writing Techniques
http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar

Evaluation

Below is a table you can use for a rubric or you can simply explain how will evaluate the students :


	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4
Ability to write a narrative story in journal format	Writes the journal entries but does not state a main idea, left out major ideas, gave few supporting details, does not tell story in order	Writes the journal entries but does not state a main idea, includes unrelated ideas and/or does not always follow sequential order	Writes the journal entries which follows a main idea, stays on topic, but includes unrelated ideas and/or does not always follow sequential order	Writes the journal entries which follows a main idea, stays on topic, gives supporting details, and follows sequential order
Ability to write a descriptive essay	Writes the descriptive essay but does not state a main idea, left out major ideas, gave few supporting details, does not tell story in order, has no orgainzation, and is missing either an introduction or conclusion.	Writes the descriptive essay but does not state a main idea, includes unrelated ideas and/or does not always follow sequential order and includes a minimal introduction, body, & conclusion	Writes the decriptive essay which follows a main idea, generally stays on topic, but includes unrelated ideas, does not always follow sequential order, and includes an introduction, body, & conclusion	Writes the descriptive essay which follows a main idea, stays on topic, gives supporting details, follows sequential order, and includes an introduction, body, & conclusion
Ability to write an expository essay	Writes an expository essay but does not state a main idea, left out major ideas, gave few supporting details, does not tell story in order, has no orgainzation, and is missing either an introduction or conclusion.	Writes an expository essay but does not state a main idea, includes unrelated ideas and/or does not always follow sequential order and includes a minimal introduction, body, & conclusion	Writes an expository essay which follows a main idea, generally stays on topic, but includes unrelated ideas, does not always follow sequential order, and includes an introduction, body, & conclusion	Writes a expository essay which follows a main idea, stays on topic, gives supporting details, follows sequential order, and includes an introduction, body, & conclusion
Ability to write a persuasive essay	Writes an persuasive essay but does not state a main idea, left out major ideas, gave few supporting details, does not tell story in order, has no orgainzation, and is missing either an introduction or conclusion.	Writes a persuasive essay but does not state a main idea, includes unrelated ideas and/or does not always follow sequential order and includes a minimal introduction, body, & conclusion	Writes a persuasive essay which follows a main idea, generally stays on topic, but includes unrelated ideas, does not always follow sequential order, and includes an introduction, body, & conclusion	Writes a persuasive essay which follows a main idea, stays on topic, gives supporting details, follows sequential order, and includes an introduction, body, & conclusion

Conclusion

Hopefully this webquest has given your students a "taste" of developing creative compositions with the use of narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing styles. This webquest should provide a competitive and challenging learning experience for all those students who find themselves stranded on Grammar Island!

Note: This webquest was planned by using Inspiration